News Briefs:

Services for John Rielly

MADISON -- Funeral services will be held on Sunday, Feb. 12, for John Rielly, long-time photographer for the Catholic Herald. Visitation will be at 1:30 p.m. and the funeral services at 2:30 at St. Maria Goretti Church, 5313 Flad Ave. Rielly died on January 29 at his home in Madison. He is survived by his wife, Helen, 446 Rushmore Ln., Madison, WI 53711.

Persons who have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, are obese, have had a heart attack, or damage to their heart valves will be particularly interested in attending this health fair. Their families and friends are welcome to accompany them.

Theology Theateron Tap begins

MADISON -- The Diocese of Madison's Young Adult Core Team is beginning a new program called "Theology Theater on Tap" on the second Thursday of the month.

The series will start on Thursday, Feb. 9, at 7 p.m. at the Catholic Multicultural Center, 1862 Beld St. (off Park St. about one-half mile north of the Beltline). People aged 20 to 39 are invited to watch and discuss the movie Entertaining Angels: The Dorothy Day Story (1996, with Moira Kelly and Martin Sheen). Food and drink will be provided. There is no cost.

The next "Theology Theater on Tap" is scheduled for Thursday, March 9. For more information, e-mail bweisse@straphael.org or call 608-821-3164.

Help the world:Eat chocolate

MADISON -- Just in time for Valentine's Day, parishes throughout the Diocese of Madison will be selling Divine Chocolate this weekend, Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 11 and 12.

"Help the World: Eat Chocolate" is the theme of this fund-raising program. Divine Chocolate is fair-trade chocolate that supports cocoa farmers in Ghana.

The profits from this sale will benefit the Diocese of Madison Global Solidarity Partnership's Donkey Project. This project gives donkeys to poor women in the partner Diocese of Novrongo-Bolgatanga in northern Ghana.

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With the February 4 opening of "Saint Peter and the Vatican: The Legacy of the Popes," the largest tour of Vatican objects, museum staff are excited for this rare opportunity to get a peek at objects that trace the Roman Catholic faith over the past 2,000 years.

"If ever there was such a thing as divine intervention in the life of an institution, this is it," said Dan Finley, president of the Milwaukee Public Museum.

The museum expects that the exhibit, which runs through May 7, will draw viewers from not only the Milwaukee area, but also surrounding states, as this is the tour's last North American stop and only Midwest venue.

"It is an extraordinary exhibition that will mesmerize visitors of all backgrounds," Finley said. "The museum is delighted to provide the Milwaukee community and visitors to the region with this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see timeless works of art in such a meaningful context."

Opening up dialogue

Msgr. Roberto Zagnoli, curator of the Vatican Museums, was at the Milwaukee Public Museum last week for the uncrating of four of the objects to be showcased in the exhibit. The Mandylion of Edessa, considered to be the oldest known representation of Christ, was one of the pieces uncrated.

"The true meaning of this exhibit is the dialogue it will open up with all people in all the world," Zagnoli said. "They can now entertain themselves with the truth."

"The Milwaukee Public Museum provides the ideal venue for this extraordinary exhibition on the role of the papacy," said Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan in a museum-issued press release."The exhibition is sure to inspire and educate Catholics and non-Catholics alike on the successor of St. Peter, his role in promoting international peace and justice, and his historical commitment to increasing dialogue with other world religions."

Provoking thought

The experience is likely to be a thought-provoking and emotional experience for those who walk through its doors. Visitors can expect to be immersed in a multi-sensory experience, beginning with a three-minute introductory video.

The exhibit itself, which holds more than 300 objects, has been modeled after the Vatican, with walls, doors, ceilings, and foundations recreated to look exactly like the Vatican, giving visitors an authentic feel, as if they are walking through the Vatican itself.

The exhibition consists of 12 galleries, developed along six themes:

 Reproduction of the Tomb of St. Peter;

 Building of the Basilicas, the Sistine Chapel;

 Papal Liturgies;

 Into the World;

 Recent Papal History; and

 Into the New Millennium.

Highlights of the exhibit include the Papal Tiara of Pope Pius IX, a Buddhist Thanka presented by the Dalai Lama to Pope John Paul II, and objects used during the election of Pope Benedict XVI.

Other items include personal items of the popes, official diaries from papal conclaves, marble sculptures and intricately embroidered silk vestments.

One of the final stops of the tour is a bronze cast of the hand of Pope John Paul II, which visitors can touch as they exit.

Perpetual Adoration:Begins Feb. 12 at Holy Redeemer, Madison

There will be a procession with the monstrance from the upper church to the lower chapel at the end of the 9 a.m. Mass on Sunday to start the Perpetual Adoration.

"In the very center of the capital city and in the shadow of the University of Wisconsin, 24 hours a day, seven days a week at least two persons will be praying before the Blessed Sacrament exposed in a monstrance," said Msgr. Paul J. Swain, vicar general and pastor of St. Raphael, Holy Redeemer, and St. Patrick Parishes in Madison.

"Hundreds of Catholics from throughout the city and county have committed to holy hours as part of this special ministry. We are grateful for their generosity and expressions of faith," said Monsignor Swain.

He explained that Adoration is rooted in the Mass, which is the summit and source of the Catholic faith. "Exposition leads us to acknowledge Christ's real presence in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. It invites us to the spiritual union with Jesus that culminates in sacramental communion."

Monsignor Swain said that there are many graces that can flow from Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration. Among them is increased Mass attendance and Confessions, increased devotion to the Blessed Mother, and increased vocations to the ordained and consecrated life. Those who have
participated in Exposition elsewhere have also noted a greater sense of unity with the church and an inner peace.

The chapel at Holy Redeemer will be open to all who wish to visit between the hours of 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. Those coming are encouraged to enter through the parking lot doors.

For safety reasons the church doors will be locked at 9 p.m. However persons in addition to those who have signed up wishing to spend time during that period may contact the parish office at 608-255-1658 or Richard Blaney at 608-271-6539.

Those interested in signing up to be adorers on a regular basis may contact Richard Blaney or Eleanor Crosswait at 608-837-5649.

Blaney said that more adorers are always welcome. He expressed gratitude to all those involved in getting Perpetual Adoration started in Madison.

The only other parish in the Diocese of Madison with Perpetual Adoration is St. Mary Parish in Fennimore.

"We thank God for the gift of our Lord in the Holy Eucharist. Now each of us has the opportunity any and every day to make a Holy Hour before our Lord," said Monsignor Swain.